Still waters run deep
by katzemich
Summary: AU. Asami's brother proposes to his lover and her brother is invited to meet them. Is the happy-go-lucky and cheery brother truly as innocent as he looks? and why does Asami have such a reaction to him? Sorry, its my first fic and I'm really not good at writing summaries. Please just give it a try.
1. prelude

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

 _ **A/N : This is my first time writing fan-fiction so please forgive any mistakes in this and if you can, please help me find them. Your comments will be greatly appreciated. thank you for giving it a try! Happy reading!**_

 **Prelude**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 8 PM**

A phone ringing distracts Ryuichi from the files he was reading and he gestures Kirishima to answer it and gets back to the file. The conversation is short and mostly one- sided. But Asami notes a gleam in his eyes as he ends the call and faces him.

"Asami sama", Kirishima begins, "it was Renjiro sama's guards; they called to report that Renjiro sama has proposed and Seiko sama has said yes" he finished with a smile.

As he hears this news, a rare smile graces Ryuichi's face and it is gone as quickly as it came. "Send them a congratulatory bouquet and inform my parents as well, I'm sure they are looking forward for this news."

"As you wish, Asami sama", the ever faithful secretary says as he leaves the room.

Asami walks to his floor to ceiling window, looking at the night sky and lighting a cigarette, paying no attention to the busy Tokyo traffic below. "Congratulations, my brother," he says, as he exhales the smoke, his golden eyes glowing in the reflected light.

 **Las Vegas, Nevada, 4 AM**

A groan is heard from a warehouse that is located away from the busy streets of the Las Vegas strip. Inside the warehouse, the dim light from the moon reveals a man lying on the ground, his nose broken, legs twisted in an awkward angle, right hand trying unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding from his abdomen. He looks around himself, desperately trying to find a way out. The only exit was guarded by men in black suits, their weapons clearly visible even in the low light.

A laugh echoes in the warehouse, and he turns his gaze to the source, only to find a figure shrouded in darkness. His hazel eyes were glowing and his mouth twisted into a maniacal grin, showing his silvery white teeth.

"Please," the man begs, "I didn't do it on purpose. I just thought—"

"That you could cheat the woman, take all her money and live happily ever after! What an idea!" the figure growled, the knife in his hands glinting in the moonlight, dripping blood onto the floor. "Well your actions have left behind a very brokenhearted woman, and I find that unforgivable." He hands the knife to a figure behind him and takes out a gun. "Are you ready to face the consequences of your action now?" he says as he points the gun at him.

"Noooo!" the man screams, which were cut off by a gunshot straight to his head. His lifeless body falls to the ground with a thud.

The men guarding the exit begin the work of disposing off the body silently.

The silence was disrupted by the ringing of a cell phone. The dark figure wipes his hands and takes out his cell. 'Seiko calling' is displayed on the screen. He answers the call and was about to say something when-

"Onii chan, Renji just proposed to me!" came the scream from the caller.

"That's great news! Congratulations on your engagement my dear!" he grins, which only widens as his sister regales him with the colourful account of how her fiancé had taken her out that evening and his proposal and the beautiful bouquet she received from his brother.

"Hey onii chan, won't you come to meet us soon?" she asks, her voice suddenly shy.

He smiles as he replies with an affirmative.

"Of course my dear, how about I come visit you the day after tomorrow?"

"Will you? That would be great!" came the enthusiastic reply.

"Good, I'll meet you then. Now don't keep your fiancé waiting."

"Okay! Bye onii chan! Love you!" and she hangs up.

The man smiles as he pockets his phone. A figure comes behind him and hands him his coat.

"A vermin wiped from the streets and news of your sisters engagement, what a great way to start the day, huh" he grins.

"A great way indeed" he replies as they walk out of the warehouse. "Book a flight to Japan for both of us as soon as you can. And call father. He'll want to hear the good news as well."

"Bet he'll be ecstatic when he hears this" the man smiled.

"Yes, he sure will" he smiled back. "In fact, he'll whine about not taking him with us. But we still won't"

Both men chuckled as they got into a black car and rode away into the night.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story. Any resemblance in name or situation is purely coincidence.**

 **Well, happy reading!**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Tokyo** **International** **Airport**

Seiko stared at the arrival board anxiously. Her brother's plane, which was supposed to have landed two hours ago, had been delayed due to the bad weather conditions at the airport. She mentally cursed its timing and sighed.

She was brimming with nervous energy. Her mind was on the edge the entire night, and the heavy feeling in her stomach hadn't settled at all. In fact, it only seemed to get worse as the time went by. Renji had assured her that everything will be fine, but it didn't stop the thoughts that kept popping in her head.

"Everyone will surely like onii chan, he's just so lovable. But what if he doesn't like them? What if he disproves of their way of living? Will he take me away from Renji? No, I won't be able to bear it! I have to find a way to make him approve. Oh god, what should I do?"

She looked to her left, spotting Renjiro in deep discussion with his brother, Ryuichi san as well as Kirishima san and Suoh san. She decided not to interrupt them and looked for her to-be sister-in-law, Mizuki san, who was in a duty free shop.

"May as well distract myself with shopping, or I'll go crazy with worry", she thought and went to join her.

Ryuichi glanced at her briefly and then continued on with his conversation. They were discussing about her so-called brother who they didn't even know existed before she told Renji about him a week ago.

He had ordered a background check on Seiko when his brother started dating her. Hers

was an old noble family. Her grandfather, Shouji Yamamoto was in the real estate business and had only added to the family wealth. His wife Ayame also came from a wealthy noble family. Seiko's mother Shika is the second daughter and her husband, Yuuta Eiji, is the son of an old family friend and he married into their family, changing his name to Yamamoto. Both of them had taken over the real estate business some years back.

There was very little mention of the eldest daughter of the Yamamoto seniors, Sayomi, who was rumoured to have eloped when she was in college. Sources showed that the family had cut-off all ties with her, but after five years she had returned carrying a child, but had died at childbirth. No one knew about the father.

The report had given every detail about the family. But even in this detailed report, there was no mention of Seiko's brother. She was shown as the only child of Yuuta and Shika Yamamoto. But she genuinely believed that he was her brother, her love for him clearly shown in her eyes as she talked about him. This confused them even more.

After she had revealed his existence, Ryuichi had ordered a background check on him as well. What he got was very unsatisfying. He came out clean, but as his resources in the US were not so much, they weren't able to dig out more than the superficial information.

So it was a collective decision that they will observe caution around him. After all, it's better to be safe than sorry, especially in their line of business.

After some time, both ladies emerged from the shop, each carrying a Gucci bag and talking excitedly about the items that were displayed in the shop. They made their way to the men, still talking.

The speakers announced that the flight from California to Tokyo had landed safely. Seiko felt her heart soar as she heard this and barely stopped herself from jumping up and down in excitement.

Renjiro watched with open fascination as the love of his life stared hard at the people starting to come out from the terminal, as if afraid that she might miss him if she blinked even once. He smiled at the happy grin on her face as she squealed and ran towards the crowd, nearly falling over her own feet in her excitement.

They all watched as a blond haired man broke free from the crowd and ran towards her in equal excitement, his arms wide open. As she reached him, she caught her by her waist and lifted her, twirling and laughing, their laughter ringing loud and clear even in the noisy airport.

He put her down, and caught her face between his palms to take a good look at her. She smiled at him as he gently kissed her cheek.

"Hmm, this being in love thing really suits you dear, you already look so much more beautiful than the last time I saw you!" he exclaimed and Seiko blushed at the compliment.

"Stop teasing me onii-san!" she chided him gently, "and come meet Renji, he's over there!"

"But it's true!" he said as he was half dragged by his little sister to where her fiancé was. She stopped in front of him and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Onii chan, meet my fiancé Renjiro and his family. And Renjiro, this is my onii chan." She grinned as she introduced them to each other.

Ryuichi watched as the 25 year old blond haired man turned his attention from his sister to them, his eyes meeting everyone, smile on his face.

"Hey everyone! I'm Takaba Akihito!" he cheerfully greeted.

As he turned to him, Ryuichi's golden eyes met the most beautiful hazel eyes he had ever had the fortune of looking at.

And then, he felt his world shift.

 **A/N: I'm sorry if there are any errors in the details. Everything was just searched from the net. So were the names and surnames. I just used whatever name that fit with the surname or vice-versa. I hope you like it. :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the delay guys. Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews and those who fav'd and followed this story. I hope I won't disappoint you. Well, here's the next chapter. Hope you all like it. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story. Any resemblance in name or situation is purely coincidental.**

 **Chapter 2**

Akihito was first introduced to Renjiro.

"Oh, so this is the man that stole my little sister's heart, huh?" Akihito said as he circled around Renji with a thoughtful look, as if evaluating him. "Hmm, gotta say, you have a very good taste in men, dear. This one looks absolutely delish! And such a delectable ass! Mind if I bite them?" He showed his pearly white teeth, making snapping motions with it.

Renji sputtered as he turned bright red, not just his face but his ears and neck too. His shock at the statement had rendered him speechless and he looked at Takaba with a deer in the headlights look. Mizuki, who was initially shocked as well, seemed to realize the humor in the situation and started chuckling, which soon turned into full blown laughter at her brother's expense.

Her laughter was followed by Seiko and both the girls were clutching their stomachs, unable to control their laughter. Kirishima and Suoh were trying to stifle their chuckles. Ryuichi himself was adorning a smile on his face, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter, staring at the man who reduced his little brother into a sputtering mess in mere seconds of their meeting.

Akihito was sporting a child like grin on his face, his eyes dancing with mirth as he looked at his sister laughing, any sign of tension she had in her fading. She had seemed very tensed when she introduced him to her fiancé, like a bundle of nerves that were wound up so tight that it would all break apart with just a single touch. He wanted to wipe that all away and it looked like he had succeeded in doing that.

The tension in the air drained away as the girls recovered from their laughing fit and everyone schooled their expressions. Renjiro was still red and shot them all a glare. 'Traitors' was what those eyes seemed to say. This earned him another round of chuckles from the girls.

"I'm sorry, my dear. I was just joking." Akihito apologized, his eyes still retaining their mischievous glint. Hearing those words, Renjiro started to relax, but he continued, "After all, they belong to my sister to do as she pleases. But do be careful, she has very sharp teeth."

Renjiro's face started to get red again at this and Seiko giggled quietly. Renji looked at her and she ran her tongue over her teeth, showing her sharp canines. That got everyone started again, and the redness in Renji's face seemed to be permanent at this point.

"Sorry." Akihito laughingly patted his back. "Sorry again. That was just my revenge for stealing my little sis from me. Don't take it to heart, okay?" he extended his hand. "It's really a pleasure meeting you, Renjiro."

Renjiro held out his hand for a handshake. "It's a pleasure meeting you too, Akihito san."

"Oh please, none of that –san please. I've been living outside Japan for far too long, and I'm really not good with this honorifics thing. So please don't be offended if I forget to use it. And do speak my name without it; after all, you're family now." He smiled at him.

"Only if you call me Renji." He smiled back.

"Deal."

Seiko rolled her eyes and introduced him to the next person.

"This is Asami Ryuichi san, Renji's elder brother." She said with a small smile.

Ryuichi watched as the hazel eyes turned fully to him, and noticed as they filled with astonishment and – did he just check him out? He watched as he gave him an appreciative smile and extended his hand.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, _Ryuichi_."

The way he said his name seemed oddly seductive to him, and Ryuichi, to his surprise, found that he really liked the way his name rolled out of this blond firecracker's lips. His own lips twitched upwards as he held out his own hand.

"The pleasure all mine, _Akihito._ "

He found that Akihito, all jokes aside, had a firm handshake, not too dominant but not weak in the least. And being a corporate leader (at least in the eyes of public), he knew the significance of a good handshake. It showed the confidence of a person. He mentally nodded his approval.

Seiko moved on to introduce the rest.

"And this is Kirishima san, Ryuichi san's secretary and Suoh san, his chief of security. " Seiko continued with the introductions. Akihito greeted them and shook their hands.

"And finally, this is Mizuki san, Renji's younger sister." She said as she pulled her from where she was still chuckling in the sidelines.

Akihito caught her hand and brought it to his lips.

"It's a real pleasure meeting you, _ma belle dame!_ " he said, taking on a French accent, his voice deepening and Mizuki blushed prettily at the compliment.

"Thank you. It's a pleasure meeting you too, Akihito san." She said in return.

"Please, just Akihito." He smiled as she nodded. "You're really cute. I think Dave would really love meeting you."

"Oh, Dave-nii! Didn't he come with you?" Seiko asked as she looked around for him. In her nervousness, she had completely forgotten about him. Dave-nii was her brother's best friend and one was rarely seen without the other.

"Some matters came up at the last moment, so he stayed back to resolve them. He'll be here by tomorrow." Akihito said, dismissing the matter off-handedly. "I see you girls have done some shopping while waiting for me." He said as he noticed the brand new bags in their hands.

"Yeah, you were late. Had to find something to do." She quipped.

"It's not my fault that the weather was crappy." He pouted. "Anyway, I have to go shopping for my clothes. I was hoping we could go together."

They all finally noticed that the lack of luggage except for the small backpack that hung over his shoulders.

"My luggage was accidentally sent to the wrong plane. I didn't want to be late, so just told them to hand it over to Dave tomorrow." He explained as he saw them looking at his backpack. "So you guys coming?"

Both girls looked at each other and grinned. If there was anything both girls loved more than anything (except for their family, of course), it was shopping. Each of them took hold of one of his arms.

"You sure know how to win a girls heart!" Mizuki grinned at him and led them towards the exit.

The men left behind resigned themselves to a day of carrying around the shopping bags for them. Giving each other consoling smiles, they followed the girls, who were excitedly telling Akihito about all the things they needed to buy.

 **A/N: that's it for now. Hope you guys like it. :)**

 **Ma belle dame: my lovely lady (used the google translate for this, so don't know if it's accurate. Don't hesitate to correct me though.)**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm really sorry for the delay everyone. I just had a hard time writing this chapter. It just seemed so bland every time I wrote it, and I didn't want to post it like that. I tried to fix it as much as I could. Hopefully the next one would be better.**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story. Any resemblance in name or situation is purely coincidental.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **Chapter 4**

Kirishima had called the car to pick them up from the exit.

Akihito was awed when a limousine pulled up and the driver got out opening the door for them. They all entered the car one by one and soon, they were on their way.

"So, where are we going? We're gonna have to go to many shops to get everything on our list." Mizuki said thoughtfully.

"Don't worry about it; I know a place where we can get everything on that list." Akihito assured her. "Tell you what; it will be my get-to-know-you gift. What do you say?"

His query was met with enthusiastic nods from the girls and a relieved sigh from the Asamis. Everything being in one place would certainly be kinder on their feet, though they would never admit to it.

"Okay then, let's go the LUX. It's quite near here." Akihito declared. LUX was a high class shop and only catered to the very top cream of the society. It even had a formal dress code! Everyone sent dubious glances at the blonde's attire, which was jeans, a white t-shirt and a sweatshirt, paired with sneakers. He assured everyone that it was fine; he knew someone in the shop and he had been informed about his visit; so they would easily be granted entry.

Everyone reluctantly agreed and Kirishima relayed the information to the driver. Everyone settled in and made small talks about any ranging from the weather to the new gadgets. It seemed that Akihito was very knowledgeable and the conversation flew easily as they reached their destination.

The girls practically bounced out of the limo as soon as it stopped. The men exited more gracefully and the car drove away to the parking lot.

The LUX had opened about a year ago and had become an instant hit among the Japan's richest. It had the best products of the best brands, even the foreign ones. And it also boasted of its excellent infrastructure. The building spanned over 150,000 square meters, big enough to be called a shopping mall, and had 6 floors and an underground parking facility. It also was eco-friendly and earthquake proof. The interiors were tastefully decorated and the sections divided according to the utilities it provided. It never failed to awe the people who entered with its magnificence and beauty.

Everyone walked to the entrance, with Akihito and the girls at the head of their group, with Kirishima and Suoh flanking the end. As they reached the door, everyone was surprised when a man, who they realized was the manager from his name-tag, respectfully bowed to them and ushered them in.

"It's an honour to welcome you to our humble shop again, Akihito sama. I hope you had a safe flight?" the manager asked as he offered them a seat.

"It was a shaky landing, but the rest was fine. How are you doing, Mr. Inoue? The business is not causing you unnecessary stress, I hope?" Akihito enquired.

"Oh no, the business is going smoothly, so no stress at all!" the manager chuckled.

"That's good to hear. Wouldn't want you retiring early now, would we?" Akihito said with a cheeky grin.

"Of course you wouldn't. After all, who would be able to handle a whirlwind like yourself if I do?" Inoue quipped back and Akihito chuckled.

"True that." He said between his chuckles.

"The shop has been closed for others so you can take your time, without any disturbances. So, what can I help you with today, Akihito sama." the manager asked, his body taking on a professional seriousness, worthy of being in charge of such an esteemed establishment.

"Well, I just need to buy some clothes for myself, as well as some basic necessities. And these lovely ladies," he gestured to Seiko and Mizuki, who were gaping at the VIP treatment he was being given, "would love to look around the shop, wouldn't you, doves?"

That broke them from their stupor and they nodded, still trying to grasp the situation. The men were doing no better, but they were good at preventing their thoughts from showing on their faces.

The Asami brothers looked at each other, silently mulling over the new information. The background check on Akihito showed that he was a student of Caltech University, California and worked in a software company, nothing that warranted the VIP treatment by the manager of LUX. Their minds were still reeling as the manager nodded and gestured to the staff to escort them.

Akihito chose his dresses at a record time. They mainly consisted of some jeans, t-shirts and shirts. He also bought some sneakers. As expected of LUX, none of the items had a price tag, but were obviously of the highest quality. Ryuichi discovered that Akihito had very good taste in clothes. They fit him wonderfully yet looked comfortable. He caught himself staring at him several times and looked away quickly when he realized it. Akihito caught his eyes one time and sent him a wink and stuck out his tongue, which he found oddly endearing. The staff packed the items and they were sent to the billing section.

Then came the girls' turn. Three staff members accompanied them as they toured the building. The girls ooh'ed and aahh'ed over several items. Mizuki was particularly enamoured by a necklace set. They were pink diamonds set on white gold and sparkled brilliantly in the light. Seiko, on the other hand, was fascinated by the emerald necklace set, with a huge diamond hanging in the middle. Both the necklaces were works of expert workmanships. They were added to the pile that they had already selected before.

The girls tried several lovely dresses, and after trying them out, decided to keep most of them. Akihito cooed over how beautiful they both looked as they had been trying the dresses and asked the staff to help choose some accessories to go with them.

Ryuichi and Renji found some items that interested them as well. They selected some watches (those just oozed class and money), wallets and some sexy Italian leather shoes. They also choose some nice suits and got them fitted as the girls got their dresses fitted too.

Akihito returned Ryuichi's favor and ogled him unabashedly as he tried on the suits. Many comments like "sexy", "alluring", "sensual", "hot" were given out freely. He also teased Renji with more words like "racy", "saucy", "and beddable". His utterance of "bootylicious" had Renji turning red again, which got Akihito laughing again.

After several dresses, jewellery, shoes and cosmetic items later, the girls declared themselves satisfied enough and ready to leave. Akihito excused himself to attend to a phone call and the rest of the group proceeded to the lounge area to wait for him.

Ryuichi beckoned the manager and tried to hand him his credit card to pay the bills. The manager declined his card respectfully and apologized.

"I'm sorry sir, but Akihito sama has already paid for your purchases. They are currently being packed for you."

Everyone, except for Seiko, was shocked.

"So nii-chan's upto his tricks again, huh?" she giggled.

The manager merely smiled and excused himself.

"What's wrong?" Akihito asked when he returned and was met with skeptical looks.

"You paid for all the items." Mizuki said while pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Yeah, I told you they were your get-to-know-you presents. Of course I would be paying for them." He simply stated. When no one stopped staring, he added, "Oh please, a few millions aren't going to put a dent in my account, you know!"

Any further arguments were cut off by the manager returning and many of the staff following him, carrying their bags.

Akihito was handed back his card and thanked profusely by the manager for choosing their shop. They headed back to the entrance of the shop where their limo was already waiting. After the staff finished putting away their shopping bags in the car, everyone got inside. The manager and the staff bid their farewell with a 90 degree bow and requested to come again.

By the time the limo left the compound, the tension inside had increased to dangerous levels, but Akihito was seemingly oblivious to it.

"So Aki nii, are you going to your house tonight?"

"Nah, I'm staying at a hotel. Dave will be here tomorrow and then we'll go to the house. It makes no sense to go all the way there only to come back in the morning. It would waste too much time."

"You have a house here?" Mizuki asked, the tension forgotten.

"Yes, in the countryside. I love the peace and quiet I get there. It's so different from the busy city. You should all visit our house sometime soon."

His invitation was accepted with affirmative nods from everyone.

"Hey, instead of staying in the hotel, why don't you stay at our home tonight?" Mizuki suggested. "I'm sure no one would mind."

"Yes, you should." Ryuichi said before Akihito could voice any protest. "I'm sure Seiko has lots of things she wants to talk to you about." This earned him a grateful look from Seiko.

At the pleading look of his sister, all his protest melted and Akihito nodded his consent. Mizuki and Seiko whooped in excitement and giggled. Their happiness was contagious and soon Akihito was smiling as well. Ryuichi and Renji watched with matching smiles at their loved ones.

Everyone continued smiling and joking, with some teasing on Akihito's part; and the limo now headed towards the Asami mansion, where their parents and the entire clan resided.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for such a late update guys. I just keep having this bad case of migraine and it's just not letting me do anything. I don't know when I can start writing again, so I thought I should at least post this half finished chapter. Sorry that it's really short.**

 **My heartfelt thanks to everyone for your lovely reviews and those who fav'd and followed this story. I hope you like the new chapter. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

 **Chapter 4**

As the limo progressed into their house, Akihito came to realize that the Asami mansion was nothing less than an armed fortress. To enter the mansion, one must go through the iron gates which were intimidating in themselves. It opened only when the pass was inserted into the slot or if it was opened from the inside.

If you get past the gates, you would see what one could call an army. Every one inside carried themselves with an air of confidence and if one looked close enough, they would see the outline of the guns on their person. The atmosphere was relaxed, but alert, so that they could be ready for battle if need arose.

The limo parked at the front entrance and everyone got out. Akihito was surprised when they were greeted by rows of men bowing to them. Ryuichi acknowledged their greeting with a nod and dismissed them. Kirishima and Suoh excused themselves to look into some matter.

Akihito saw people getting the bags out and hurried after them. He took two bags and his backpack from them and politely asked them to keep the rest in the guestroom where he would be staying. After getting their affirmative nod, he walked back to the group that was watching all of this with confusion. He, however, offered no explanation for his actions.

They entered the mansion and a man, who Akihito realized was the butler of sort, greeted Ryuichi and informed him that their parents were in the gardens. He nodded and asked them to follow him.

Ryuichi led them through the house to a beautiful garden at the back of the house. It was designed in a traditional Japanese way, with a little bit of the western touch. They walked towards the Asami seniors who were standing near the artificial pond.

Asami Ryuutarou, Asami senior, was a tall man in his late fifties, but there were no outward signs of aging except for the salt and pepper grey hair which was styled back. His wife, Asami Michiko, standing beside him, was a small unassuming woman who many may mistakenly perceive as weak. But Akihito could see that behind that frail mask was a deadly woman who wouldn't hesitate to make you pay for that mistake. They both were wearing kimonos and a smile on their faces as they welcomed him to their home.

"It's good to finally meet you, Takaba san" Asami Ryuutarou greeted him.

"It's my great pleasure to meet you too, Asami san. I've heard a lot about you from Seiko chan. Thank you for taking care of my little sister." Akihito bowed. The Asami couple looked impressed at his manners. They were aware of him living in the west, where such mannerisms were not in practice. They both smiled and returned the bow.

"It's out pleasure to have such a sweet girl as our daughter-in-law, Takaba san."

"She's not as sweet as she looks. I assure you, under that cute puppy façade lies a little devil." He joked.

"Nii-chaan!" Seiko whined, and the younger Asamis cracked up. Akihito playfully flicked her nose and she pouted.

"Well our boy is not an angel either, so they'll get along just fine. And please, call me Ryuutarou." He smiled.

"And call me Michiko. It would be so confusing if you used the name Asami for us all." Michiko smiled as everyone chuckled.

"Then please call me Akihito." He conceded. "And I have some things I'd like you to have." He said as he presented them with the bags he held before.

From the bags came out two beautiful silk kimonos, with intricate designs woven on them. Anyone could see that they were of superb quality and many may even go as far as to describe them as works of art.

"Seiko had told me that you had a liking to kimonos. I hope you like them." Akihito said to them. He rummaged through his backpack and produced two boxes, and gave them one each. "I hope you like these too."

The box offered to Michiko san was opened first and was revealed to be a set of five most beautiful hair pins. The one in Ryuutarou san's hand was a box of Cuban cigars that he liked a lot. It seemed that he had pegged their favorites correct.

"These are just so lovely. Thank you my dear." Michiko replied, speaking for her husband as well.

Akihito smiled and Seiko muttered something similar to 'bribing people and charming them.'

"You must be hungry after such a long flight. The staff has prepared food for us. Would like to eat now or after you've had a bath?" Michiko asked.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to eat now please. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" he declared and Seiko huffed at her brother's antics.

They walked into the dining room where the food had been served. Everyone settled into their seats and Akihito dug into the food with an enthusiastic "Itadakimasu". He moaned in delight as he took the first bite and heaped praises at the cooks for such an amazing meal. After he was finished, he set down his chopsticks and rubbed his stomach with a satisfied smile.

It was getting late and Akihito thanked his hosts for the meal. Seiko gave him a short tour of the mansion and guided him to his room. She left him so he could settle and take a bath and promised to come see him after he was finished.

Akihito freshened up, took a quick shower and brushed his teeth. He donned his night dress and sat on his bed, waiting for his sister. He knew she had a lot to talk, and also knew what it was about. Seiko always told him about everything over the phone, but she always diverted the topic of her parents' and grandparents' reaction. He knew they were strongly against it, with their noble background and all, but Seiko never told him the whole story.

He sighed as he thought about the conversation that was soon to come. This was going to be a long night….


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: My heartfelt thanks to everyone for your lovely reviews and those who fav'd and followed this story. I hope you like the new chapter. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

 **Chapter 5**

Seiko entered Akihito's room after about fifteen minutes, after showering. He patted the bed and gestured her to join him. She slowly approached the bed and sat down next to him. Akihito waited as she got comfortable and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, showing his silent support.

They started talking about how her studies were going on, and what field she was planning on pursuing in the future. They made more small talks, about his studies, her plans on the wedding and so on. Finally Akihito broached the question that had been threatening to suffocate them since the beginning of the conversation.

"How did they react?" he didn't elaborate on who 'they' were, as it was more than obvious at this point.

Seiko broke down at this, tears silently falling down her cheeks. She looked utterly miserable and Akihito pulled her in his arms and started patting her head, trying to soothe her.

"horribly." Seiko started speaking in between her sobs. "Said they wouldn't allow it, and I must break it off with him and return back home. That he was a bad influence on me and they wouldn't tolerate me disobeying them." She whimpered. "And when I said no, they started shouting, saying I was spoilt and insolent and they shouldn't have let me leave home to come here. Said that I was an ungrateful wench and they wasted their time to look after me. Okaa san and otou san said they hate me and would never forgive me, and they told me to never come back and they were disowning me." She was wailing now, crying her heart out to her brother, the only one who stood by her side, no matter what.

Akihito was furious and cursed under his breath. He knew her family wouldn't take it well, but to go to such an extent was too much, even for them. Seiko was their treasure, their most beloved one. How could they hurt her so much? He tried to tone down his anger for now to soothe his little sister. He was grateful that his room was away from other rooms, as they wouldn't be able to hear his sister crying like this. He was sure that his sister would like it if someone barged in right now, demanding why she was crying.

He murmured reassuring words to her ears and threaded his fingers through her hair, as her tears continued to soak his shirt. He told her that her parents still loved her, her grandparents still loved her, and what was said was in the heat of the moment and they hadn't meant it. He assured her that they would forgive her, that it was not her fault as one can never choose who they fall in love with. He continued with this and rocked her even as her wails turned to quiet sobs.

After her sobs had died down a little, she looked at him with tear filled eyes and asked, "You still love me, right onii chan? You aren't going to leave me, right?" her voice was pleading.

Anger flared up inside of him again as he heard the pathetic tone in his sister's voice. He didn't like it one bit and wanted to kill the person who put it there.

"Of course not!" he declared passionately. "Hey, look at me!" he demanded when she stole her eyes from him. When she finally met his eyes, he said, "I will always love you, no matter what. And don't you dare doubt that, ever!" Akihito assured her as tears started again, but this time, they were grateful ones. And Akihito felt hope that she was going to be alright.

"It's time for you to sleep, little Seiko chan. Now go to sleep and tomorrow morning, I want to see my headstrong little sister who enjoys bantering with me and is in love with the man of her dreams." That pulled a small smile from her. He smiled and started singing, petting her head and lulling her to sleep.

"Good night, Seiko chan." He said as he saw that she had fallen asleep on him. "And sweet dreams." He closed his eyes, letting the day's exhaustion pull him to sleep.

-x-x-x-

Ryuichi entered the house at 2 a.m. in the morning feeling tired and was more than ready to fall to bed and sleep. He paused when he saw his brother pacing around the staircase and occasionally looking upwards with a worried glance, before resuming his pacing once again.

He walked towards him and spoke, "what are you doing?"

His question startled Renji, who hadn't noticed him entering the house. He looked at him and then cast his eyes above.

"Seiko went to Akihito san's room and hasn't returned. She looked really out of it before, so…."

"You're worried." Ryuichi finished for him. At his nod, he continued, "why don't you go and see for yourself?" Renji looked stricken, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. "Let's go together."

Renji brightened and nodded. They went up the stairs, towards the room given to Akihito. The door was ajar and they quietly pushed it open when their knock went unanswered. What they saw pulled at the heartstrings of both men.

Both Seiko and Akihito were in bed. Seiko was curled up on Akihito's chest, her hands fisting his shirt and hair falling on her face. Her eyes looked swollen and the tear stained cheeks told their own story. But her face held a peaceful expression and so did Akihito's. His arms were around Seiko as he held her protectively and they were both sleeping peacefully.

Renji sighed as he took in the sight before him. Ryuichi smiled a small smile and looked at him.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to wake them." Renji nodded reluctantly. "Let's go." He said as he pushed his little brother out of the room and closed the door, but not before whispering a quiet 'sweet dreams' to the two sleeping people in the room.

He saw Renji entering his room and went back to his own room and got ready for bed. As he lay down in his bed, he could help but remember the sight of Akihito and Seiko sleeping. 'He's a good brother' was his last thought as he too slipped into a deep sleep, looking forward to what the days ahead will bring..

 **A/N: sorry for the short chapter. I'll try to write the next one longer. Hope you like it**.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: My heartfelt thanks to everyone for your lovely reviews and those who fav'd and followed this story. I hope you like the new chapter. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

Chapter 6

Ryuichi woke up at 6 in the morning and headed down to the kitchen for his morning coffee. The house was silent as everyone else was probably still sleeping. He stopped when he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. He approached cautiously, only to find the most enticing sight.

Akihito was there, wearing an oversized t-shirt and shorts, and was dancing to some music that only he could hear from the earphones connected to his i-pod. Sometimes he would sing the lyrics as he moved in the kitchen, and the amount of food in the table could have fed an army! There seemed to be mixture of Japanese as well as some western cuisine. 'How early did he get up?' Ryuichi thought as he caught whiff of the delicious food.

Akihito was stirring some batter as he shook his body to the music. Ryuichi was staring as his delectable butt shook and licked his lips. This sure was a delightful sight for an early morning. Akihito poured the batter to a pan and turned to get something from the counter. That's when he saw him leaning against the kitchen door. His breath hitched as he took in the golden eyes staring at him, pupils dilated and a feral grin on Ryuichi's face as he moved to sit at the dining table. But he recovered fast and gave a grin of his own as he greeted him.

"Good morning Ryuichi! Fancy seeing you up so early, even though you came home in the morning." he asked as he placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

Ryuichi took the coffee and was pleased to find it was black coffee and not too sweet, just the way he liked it. He smiled.

"Good morning Akihito. How did you know when I came in?"

"I'm a light sleeper." That was all he got as an explanation. Akihito turned back and flipped the pancake onto a plate. He poured the batter for the next one and brought the plate to Ryuichi and gestured 'for you'.

"I hope no one would mind me using the kitchen." He asked.

Ryuichi bit into the pancake and suppressed a moan. "If all that food is as delicious as this pancake, then no." Akihito laughed. "I hope Seiko makes food this good."

At the mention of Seiko, he remembered what he had seen that morning and asked, "So, is everything alright with Seiko?"

"She'll be just fine, don't worry. She always feels better after crying it all out, been that way since she was a child. Now that she's put that off of her chest, she would be more cheerful than ever. You'll see." Akihito assured him.

The atmosphere lightened after this and they spent some time teasing or flirting with each other as Akihito finished making the pancakes. He took two plates, stacked four pancakes on each and generously poured maple syrup over them. Ryuichi cringed at that amount; he disliked things that sweet.

"This is for Seiko and me." Akihito explained as he saw his expression. "I'm just gonna take it to her. I hope you don't have a 'no eating on the bed' rule, coz I'm totally gonna break it." He looked at him, as if daring him to tell him no.

He just smiled and waved his hand at him.

"We have no such rule, so go on ahead."

Akihito smiled and winked at him. Before Ryuichi could do anything, he was off and on his way to his room.

Ryuichi shook his head in exasperation, wondering what to do with this wildcat.

-x-x-x-

As people trickled into the kitchen, Ryuichi saw many expressions of shock, wonder and then excitement as his family took in the spread laid out on the table. And he could also hear their moans as they sank their teeth into the mouth watering goodies. His father looked absolutely pleased with the Japanese ones. Even Kirishima and Suoh looked impressed, and had joined them without any hesitation. He didn't know why, but it sent a jolt of pride through him when he saw their satisfied expressions.

A little after the entire family had gathered in the kitchen and were enjoying the treats, Akihito entered with Seiko in tow. She eyed the almost empty plates on the table.

"Nii-chan! You didn't tell me you had made so many dishes!" she whined.

"I told you to save some space for other foods." Akihito quipped.

"I thought you meant the dessert!"

"Your fault, not mine."

The Asami family watched with fond smiles as the siblings bantered back and forth, putting down the plates in the sink and joining them at the table. It continued even as they heaped food onto their plates and started eating, oblivious to the amused people staring at them. When they did notice them, Seiko blushed bright red, while Akihito only grinned at them, continuing on with his teasing. Everyone was really enjoying the breakfast, with the delicious food and the sibling's bantering.

"Nii chan, how long are you staying?" Seiko asked suddenly.

"For at least twenty days, maybe a month if I can stretch it." Akihito replied, drinking some orange juice. Seiko's rejoiced in the fact that he would be staying for such a long time.

"I told you about Alice and Jun right?" Seiko nodded. "Their marriage is in fifteen days, so we were planning to come a week before that. After hearing about you being proposed, I just got here earlier than planned." Seiko just smiled at this.

"Wouldn't it affect your studies if you miss so many classes?" Michiko san asked, concerned.

"Nah, I'm just writing a thesis for my PhD, so I don't have to attend the classes much." He laughingly explained. Everyone was shocked. They had thought he was doing his bachelors, given his age.

"What's your field then?" asked Ryuutarou san, who was the first to recover from the shock.

"Nuclear physics."

"He also has a masters in computer science." Seiko added proudly.

If they were shocked before, it was nothing compared to how they felt now. To achieve such accomplishments at such a young age, he was incredible.

"You're seriously a genius, aren't you?" Mizuki blurted out. Akihito blushed and Seiko gave a proud smile. Ryuutarou san, noting that Akihito was embarrassed, smoothly changed the topic.

"So, tell us about your family, Akihito."

Akihito looked relieved and answered, "Well, I live with my dad, who's a professor at the university. Dave, my best friend, and his parents live next door and are like a family to us."

"Do you keep contact with your family here as well?" Michiko enquired.

Akihito and Seiko tensed and the atmosphere suddenly turned sour. Just then, Akihito's phone went off, and he retrieved it from his pocket, muttering 'saved by the bell' under his breath. His face brightened when he saw who the caller was and immediately excused himself from the table as he answered the call.

"Hey Dave! 'Sup, man?" was the only part they heard as he exited the kitchen. Ryuichi felt an odd pang at seeing his bright smile when he answered the phone and wondered if there was something more than just friendship between this Dave and Akihito.

Everyone's attention was diverted to Seiko as she started speaking.

"Um, our family is kind of a sour topic for nii san." She began. "He ran away from home when he was seven and everyone was angry at him. I heard ojii chan even removed his name from the family registry soon after he'd left. They don't like someone even mentioning his name, let alone talk about him, so I always have to talk to him in secret. You could even say they hate him." she finished with a sad note.

Everyone took this in somberly. They now understood how his name wasn't found even when they searched the registry. Before they could think anymore about it, Akihito returned.

"Trust me, the feeling is totally mutual, so don't worry about it." He said as he took his seat.

In order to diffuse the heavy atmosphere still lingering in the room, Seiko asked about the phone call.

"It was Dave. The matter he's dealing with may take more time, so he's not coming today. It may take about two or three days to resolve it." Akihito replied grimly.

"Will you have to go back too?" Seiko asked worriedly.

"Nope. He said he'd handle it and told me to enjoy some days with you. And he sends you his love." Akihito said with a smile. "But it seems that I'll just have to get home by myself."

"It's alright if you stay here if you'd like." Ryuutarou san offered.

"Yeah, we'd love to have you here, Aki san." Mizuki piped in and everyone nodded.

"Please." His sister joined, her puppy eyes looking at him pleadingly.

"Okay, fine." He huffed. He never could say no to those puppy eyes anyway. "But you have to make sure I don't get bored while I'm here."

"Yay! I promise." she cheered and hugged him.

The Asamis smiled and Kirishima and Suoh had a premonition that the coming days were not going to be anything like they had seen before.

 **A/N: About the subjects Akihito's taking, I didn't put too much thought to it, though his knowledge of computers may come in handy.**

 **Hope you all like the new chapter!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for such a long wait guys. I know it's been about two weeks since I've updated, but trust me, I've had my reasons. Thank you all for you patience and your kind comments. Hope you like the new chapter. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

Chapter 7

If Kirishima Kei was asked how the past two days went by, he wouldn't be able to tell you in the same precise and perfect way he writes his reports. He would only be able to say that it went by in a blur of shopping, sight seeing and more shopping. He and Suoh had had the dubious pleasure of accompanying them to these 'trips' as Takaba san called it, and he feels that he has had enough of shopping and sight seeing for his entire lifetime. There had been a short reprieve for him when there had been some trouble in one of the clubs, but it had been resolved rather quickly and then he was back on shopping duty.

Seiko san had roped in Michiko sama into one of afore mentioned trips, and together with Takaba san and Mizuki san, she transformed her into a western lady. To say that Ryuutarou sama was shocked to see her in an evening gown, complete with matching jewelry and heels, would be an understatement. Renjiro san was actually staring at her, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Ryuichi sama hid it well, but after years of working with him, Kirishima could recognize the emotions that lay behind those golden eyes. While the Asami men were cooing over Michiko sama over her transformation, Mizuki san and the sibling exchanged fist bumps and wide grins over their achievement.

Saturday had rolled on, and the young ones had insisted on going to a club. So here they were, sitting on the VIP section, drinking and playing ridiculous games while Suoh and he were guarding them. Ryuichi sama and Renjiro san were in the manager's room, working on something and would be joining them soon. He was itching to go and work with them, but he had his orders, and he was never one to disobey them. He sighed.

He had some files back home that needed his attention and he would never be able to complete them at the rate he was going. As fun as these excursions may have been, they were also exhausting and some times nerve wrecking, like when Takaba decided he wanted to explore the city on bicycles. They were left chasing after them, trying to keep them from going into the busy streets without any regard for their own safety.

He sighed again as he looked at his watch and adjusted his specs. They were new, gifts from Takaba san. Everyone in the family had gotten a gift of some kind from Takaba. And now, they both had them too. He felt a wave of happiness as he remembered him calling them part of the family.

 _"Kirishima san! Suoh san!" Takaba san called as he ran to him. "I have something I want to give you." He said as he handed both Suoh and him some bags. Kirishima opened his and found a pair of specs and a watch with his name engraved on it. "They'll match perfectly with your looks, and make you feel sexy." Takaba san winked at them and ran off to join the others. He looked over to Suoh and saw he had gotten a watch and a pair of cufflinks._

Kirishima tried not to remember the many appreciative looks he had gotten from people around him, or the not-so-accidental gropes he kept receiving in the club.

Loud laughter brought him out of his musings and he turned his attention to the table where they were sitting. He was unsurprised to find that many patrons had now gathered around his charges, enjoying themselves and alcohol was freely exchanging hands. They were going to be uncontrollable if they didn't stop them soon.

He got near the table to tell them so, but his hand was caught by Takaba.

"Hey Kirishima san, you should join us!" he said.

"I'm sorry Takaba san, but I'm on duty. So I'm afraid I can't join you." He replied.

"Wow! Do you always talk in formal speak?" he giggled, "And I've told you many times to call me Akihito, not Takaba, and no honorifics." He said as he shook his finger at him.

"It's no use. Aki chan, he is too uptight on these rules of his." Mizuki san slurred, double quoting the word 'rules' with her fingers. "I've tried a million times to make him call me just Mizuki, but to no avail." She mock sighed and took another shot as the people around her burst out into laughter. Seiko san piped in her agreement and took a shot as well, and both girls got into a giggling fit.

Kirishima sighed. They were clearly too drunk and he needed to get them back to their home soon to avoid any problems.

"Takaba san, it's getting late and you've had too many drinks. I think it's time to head home now." He suggested and was met with a resounding "no" from not only the girls, but the entire group surrounding him. He was surprised to find the upper class members of the Tokyo society acting like brats. 'That's what happens when you take too much alcohol, I guess.' He thought to himself.

He was about to insist that they go now when he was interrupted by Takaba.

"Tell you what, if you can beat me in a drinking competition, then I'll agree to go back. Else… um… I'll decide later about what I get when I win." He declared.

Kirishima eyed the array of shot glasses in front of Takaba and his almost slurring words. He was about to say no but then he changed his mind and decided to humor him. Takaba obviously wasn't going to last long anyway. Two or three more drinks and he will be out, and then Suoh and he would get the kids out of here without any fuss. So he sits on the chair opposite to Takaba and signals the bartender to bring in the drinks. The people erupt into cheers.

The competition begins, and Kirishima finds that Takaba is no lightweight drinker as he thought him to be. He matches him shot to shot, and even though he could see that Takaba was now swaying, he found that he was too. Maybe the day's tiredness was catching up to him. He thought about quitting and tries to get up, but Takaba's next words keeps him there.

"If you get up now, I'll consider it as your loss. And I've decided on what I want. If I win, you are going to start calling me Akihito. No Takaba or –san bullshit. And I must admit, I didn't take you for a lightweight." Takaba slurred.

'Lightweight? Me? I'll show you, brat!' these thoughts ran in his brain as he continued on with the competition. It was a matter of his pride now. They were drinking way to much and way too fast, and both were swaying dangerously. But both of them refused to admit defeat. Kirishima knows he will outlast the brat; after all, he had too many drinks before it began. But he could see that while Akihito was swaying, he didn't look as drunk as he himself felt.

Kirishima had been feeling woozy for a while now, and as he tried to pick the shot glass, it slips from his hands and spills all over the table. He lost; this thought registered first in his mind as he felt the table coming closer to his face. He was going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow. 'Thank god for Sundays!' he thought as he slips into unconsciousness.

-x-x-x-

Seeing Kirishima's head dropping to the table, Akihito loses all pretense of being inebriated and sits properly, his face shining in victory. The people around him cheered and congratulated him; and ordered for more drinks. He looks over to the door where Ryuichi and Renji were standing, shock decorating their faces; though in Asami's case it was well hidden. He had noticed them watching them since the middle of the drinking competition, but they hadn't interrupted them, nor made their presence known.

He gestured them to join him. Renjiro decided to sit between Mizuki and Seiko, while Ryuichi sat beside Akihito.

"Wow Akihito san, I have never seen Kirishima san lose like this! How come you're okay after that many drinks?" Renji asked.

"Alcohol doesn't affect me too badly, nor do drugs for that matter. But I do start feeling sleepy when I drink too much."

"Hmm, quite a convenient ability you have." Ryuichi said.

Akihito only smirked and raised his glass, and they clinked their glasses and took the shot. They shared a few more drinks before Mizuki and Seiko's heads started drooping. By now, the patrons had all gone home and they were the only ones left. Suoh had taken Kirishima home, and now Renji declared he was going to take the girls home.

Save for the staff and his guards, only Ryuichi and Akihito now remained in the club. Akihito was feeling sleepy now, but refused to go back so soon. So they talked about nothing in particular and suddenly, Akihito asked something that made Ryuichi stop thinking about how adorable he looked like this.

"So, how did the meeting of the crime lords go?" Akihito asked. Ryuichi understood he was talking about the meeting they had just come from, and wondered how he knew about it, or how he knew about his real occupation. Akihito must have read the question in his face as he snorted and continued.

"Come on, you didn't think I wouldn't have you investigated when Seiko told me about you?" he asked, his voice incredulous. "I looked into your entire family before she even officially started dating Renji." He shook his head. "You did a background check on me too, right? Bet you didn't find out much." He giggled sleepily. "Do you want to know why?" he asked as he leaned in closer to him, so close that he feel his breath on his face. Ryuichi waited for his answer, he was quite curious now, not that he would show it. Akihito peered into his eyes and answered, "That's because I don't want anything to be found." He grinned. "But, as a consolation prize, I'll give you this." he leaned in and Ryuichi felt soft lips touching his own. But before he could respond to the kiss, Akihito fell into his arms, finally asleep.

Ryuichi sighed and rearranges Akihito in his arms so he could carry him to the limo. He doesn't let go of him even as he entered it, keeping Akihito in his lap the entire ride back to the mansion. He carried him princess style into his room and deposits him carefully on the bed. He shifts the hair from Akihito's face as he caressed them, and pulls the duvet to his cheek before laying a chaste kiss on his lips, whispering good night.

He goes to his room and changes into his night clothes. As he lay in bed, he wonders about the mystery that was Akihito and wonders what more he will discover about him. This was his last thought as he slips into a peaceful sleep.

 **A/N: I hope you guys like it. I wanted to do a little piece from Kirishima's POV, so here it is.**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: thank you everyone for your support. Though I'm sorry to say that this chapter is going to be very short, and it is not that well written. I'll try to correct it later and post the new chapter soon. But for now, I hope you'll like the new chapter. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

Chapter 8

The next morning saw a sight that no one saw ever before. Kirishima was bitching about his horrible hangover and Suoh was moaning about his injuries Kirishima had inflicted while he was inebriated. Apparently, he was the cause of many near fatal accidents they had met with on their way home. Seiko and Mizuki were nursing their horrible headaches. Ryuutarou san and his sons watched, highly amused, as they all moaned and blamed Akihito for getting them in this state.

However, the man in question was in the kitchen, happily helping Michiko san in preparing their meals. He looked bubbly as ever, with no signs of a hangover, even though he was the one who drank the most last night. His activeness this morning astounded them. No one should be able to be that active after emptying entire barrels of alcohol. It just wasn't fair.

As the staff placed the food on the table, Michiko san and Akihito took on the task of gathering everyone in the dining room. While Michiko san was sympathetic and mindful of their roaring headaches, Akihito took great pleasure in tormenting them, especially Kirishima. He spoke more loudly and opened and closed the doors with more force than necessary. His actions and their reactions served to be of great amusement to the people around them.

Since it was Sunday, everyone decided to take a break and relax. Someone suggested playing cards and they all agreed. After the game started, they realized that Akihito was really good at it. He easily won each one of the rounds, and swept away the money they had bet.

"You're really good at cards, Aki chan!" Mizuki exclaimed as Akihito won another round.

"Yeah, he really is! He once told me he closed down an entire casino once!" Seiko told her.

"Hey, blame the casino owner for that. I just took up his challenge and won, that's all!" Akihito said, his voice filled with indignation.

"Uh-huh, so you put the casino out of business just for that!" Seiko retorted.

"Of course! That pervert deserved it, anyway."

"You did that all on you own?" Renji asked.

"Nah, I and Dave were there together. And we rocked it!" he whooped his fist in the air. "That reminds me, Dave's arriving tomorrow at dawn. I have to go pick him up."

"I'll come with you." Ryuichi offered, and Akihito accepted it with a smile.

Though the conversation and banter continued after this, Ryuichi found himself vexed each time he heard Aki speak of Dave. He knew he was attracted to the blond man beside him, but always suppressed it. But whenever he thought of the smile that appeared on Akihito's face when he was talking about Dave, he could feel the irritation boiling inside of him. His family could sense it too, and they always tried to direct the conversation away from him each time his name came up, but it didn't help quell it completely.

They spent the entire day lazing about, playing games, talking about their experiences, and teasing each other. They retired to their beds late at night, feeling their day well spent.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Akihito and Ryuichi were at the airport, waiting for Dave. His plane had landed half an hour ago. Akihito was bouncing on his feet, his excitement not letting him to sit even for a moment.

Ryuichi saw as his eyes sparkled at something and he sprinted towards the crowd coming out. He watched as Akihito flung himself onto a tall blond haired man and was reminded of how Seiko had reacted seeing her brother. 'They really are siblings.' he chuckled at that thought.

He came out of his musings at the sound of Akihito's laughter. He introduced Dave and Ryuichi to each other and without wasting any more time, they were on their way home. The entire ride was filled with their non stop chattering. But it was hard for Ryuichi to get annoyed at this. It almost felt like the sibling bantering between Akihito and Seiko he had been witnessing for the past few days. It was enough proof that there were no romantic feelings between the two. It set his mind at peace, freeing it of the jealousy he would never admit feeling towards the man he had not even met before.

Everyone was waiting for them and as soon as they entered the door, Seiko barreled into Dave, telling him how much she had missed him. Dave smiled and hugged her, telling her that he missed her too.

The Asami family welcomed him warmly and he was introduced to everyone by Akihito and Seiko. When he met Mizuki, there was a spark between them. They were instantly attracted, and Mizuki was completely enamored by him. The Asami seniors exchanged smiles at seeing their daughter's reaction, while Akihito and Seiko smiled in glee.

It seemed like someone above was definitely enjoying playing matchmaker too much.

 **A/N: sorry for such a short chapter. I'll try to post the next one soon.**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: My heartfelt thank to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. This chapter is longer, so I hope you like it. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

Chapter 9

Detective Yamazaki was in a good mood today. His morning went by perfectly, another case solved, putting another accomplishment on his belt; his superiors were happy with him. He made a shit load of cash after a deal, spent some of it on high priced girls with killer bodies and excellent skills. And the press was giving him no trouble. That was always a plus point.

But these were not what put him in such a good mood today. He was about to catch a fish that their department was after for a long time. And when he succeeds, and he will succeed, he was up for a promotion, hell a double or a triple promotion; that was how big a deal it was.

He looked at the file in his hand. A photo of a blond haired guy with a childish face smiled at him, and he sent a devious grin back. He was going to be his hook to catch the big fish he was after. He looked at the details written below.

 **Name:** Takaba Akihito

 **Age:** 25 years

 **Sister:** Seiko Yamamoto

 **Family:** unknown

 **Occupation:** student at Caltech University; works at INV Softwares.

'Caltech huh? Must be a nerd then.' He sneered. He remembered the nerds at his college. He had had a lot of fun at their expense, bullying them into doing his work. 'This was going to be easy as a pie.' He sneered again at the photo. This was going to be a good day indeed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, in Sion headquarters.

Kirishima entered Ryuichi's office in a hurried manner and called to his attention.

"Ryuichi sama, Akihito was contacted by detective Yamazaki. He was asked to meet him at the Ohayo café at noon."

Ryuichi leaned back on his chair and brought a Dunhill to his lips. Kirishima, the ever dutiful secretary, lit it and stood back, waiting for his orders.

Detective Yamazaki was a thorn on their side, always trying to drag them down using any method possible, no matter what dirty tricks he had to use. He failed every time, obviously. He had some connections to the higher ups in the police department, so it would take some effort to get him out of their way. But Yamazaki had enough sense to not approach any of the members directly, that is, until now.

"Hack into the cameras of the café and get me the live feed. Also tell someone to place microphones on every table. Place two at the corner ones." He told his secretary.

Kirishima looked at him with a shocked expression. He clearly had not been expecting this.

"I want to know what they talk about. Knowing Yamazaki, he will try to threaten Akihito into giving him information about us. Or maybe threaten him about his sister. I want to know how Akihito reacts."

Kirishima blinked, and then nodded as he realized the whole purpose of this. He needed to know if Akihito was trustworthy or will he rat them out at the smallest pressure. They had a lot of people who wanted to bring them down, and Yamazaki was only a small fry in that group.

"It will be done, Ryuichi sama." He bowed and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Ryuichi crushed his Dunhill in the ashtray, watching the embers die out.

"Let's see what you do now, Akihito." He whispered to no one in particular.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Akihito looked out of the glass window and wondered why he was here. He had received a call yesterday from a Yamazaki, a police detective, who asked to meet him at this café at noon. Alone. He stressed that word many times in their conversation. Apparently, what he wanted to talk about was meant only for his ears, and it was very important that he met him. So here he was, sitting in one of the secluded corner seats with a clear view of the door. He had looked where the cameras were out of habit and could see two of them trained at his table. Hmm..

He watched as a man in odd combination of clothes entered the café. He was wearing a pair of ripped jeans with a formal shirt and a bomber jacket on top of it. He was also carrying a neon sling bag. 'Is he trying to copy a rock band?' Akihito thought to himself. The man looked around the shop, searching for someone, and Akihito had a distinct feeling that he was the one the man was looking for. The man's eyes landed on him and with an expression which Akihito could only describe a sneer, he walked towards him.

Akihito stood up and extended his hand. "Detective Yamazaki, I presume?" he said as he shook his hand with both of his.

"Yes, you are right. Thank you for agreeing to meet me on such a short notice, Takaba san." He said as he shook his hand. Akihito gestured for him to take a seat.

Yamazaki sat down, placing his bag on the table. A waitress came to take their order and his gaze lingered on her legs and chest for too long to be appropriate and gave his order of coffee and some pastry with a slimy sneer on his face. Akihito just ordered a black coffee.

"So, Yamazaki san, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Akihito asked, turning his attention from the retreating back of the waitress to him.

Yamazaki composed himself, showing a serious detective face. "Akihito san, I heard your sister got engaged to Renjiro Asami san?" he began. At Akihito's nod, he continued, "have you met his family then?" Another nod. "Then you are aware of what their family business is, right?"

In the Sion headquarters' control room, Ryuichi, Renjiro, Kirishima and Suoh were watching the live feeds from the café, listening to their conversation.

"Of course I do. They do trades in real estate and many other businesses. Ryuichi owns many of the clubs in the areas. Renjiro manages the trading company, which mainly deals with real estate and high priced items." they heard Akihito's innocent reply.

"Ah, those are just their legal businesses, Takaba san." A smirk started to form in Yamazaki's face. "You clearly don't know of their underworld dealings."

"I have met the Asami family personally, Yamazaki san, and I assure you, theirs is a very respectful family. Anyway, if it was so, my sister would have told me." Akihito frowned.

"Then I'm afraid that your sister is hiding it from you. She is in love, and you know love blinds a person to another's faults."

"How dare you say that about my sister?" Akihito was outraged. "Don't speak of things you know nothing about." He moved to get up, but rough hands caught his arm and made him sit back down.

"What if I have proof?" Yamazaki said.

This caught his attention and that of everyone in the Sion control room. They peered at the screen, wanting to see what this so called proof was.

Akihito was about to ask about the proof when a waiter brought their ordered dishes. The waitress must have been creeped out from the stares she was receiving from the detective. After the waiter left, the detective first bit into his food and moaned. If Akihito was disgusted at his actions, he didn't let it show on his face, but the ones in the control room did.

Yamazaki opened the neon bag and took a file from it. He put it in front of Akihito. "You'll find your proof in that." he said as he gestured for him to open it.

Ryuichi watched closely as Akihito opened the file and read through its contents. He watched as the horror on Akihito's face grew as he turned each page. There were pictures of him taken during his illegal dealings. There were also a few that showed him torturing or killing someone. They were all taken in the dark and weren't clear so they couldn't be taken as concrete evidence. But they were clear enough to convince a person of their crime. Ryuichi and Renjiro glowered as they watched Yamazaki smirking; he had messed with people who should be messed with and this was going to be his last mistake.

They tore their eyes as Akihito gasped, his right hand covering his mouth as his eyes teared up. They looked at what he was seeing and couldn't believe their eyes. It was a picture of Renjiro shooting a young boy, barely five, with a cold expression. They knew it was fake, but it looked so real that they were shocked beyond anything. They looked at Akihito, who seemed to be fuming in silent fury. They couldn't blame him; after all, to kill a child in cold blood was unforgivable, even in their standards.

Yamazaki smirked at the horrified expression on Akihito's face when he saw the last picture. He paid a lot of money to get an expert to photo shop the picture, but it was worth it. No one would side with the people who mercilessly killed innocent kids. So grabbing his chance, he started speaking.

"You see, they are not the kind of people you think they are. They are ruthless killers who will not hesitate to remove anyone who stands in their way." He paused, looking sympathetic, or at least trying to. "You need to open your eyes to that fact."

'Good, that's good. Just a little more.' He thought as Akihito raised his eyes, fear and anger written on them.

"You need to get your sister away from them, Takaba san. Her future would be destroyed if this continues. She would be kicked out of university if they come to know that she has affiliations with the yakuza. Their enemies would target her and she would be in constant danger for her entire life, which may be cut short without any notice." He internally smirked as the fear and anger in his eyes intensified. 'Now, for the final push.'

"I don't think your university would take it well that their student is connected to someone in the underworld. So it's not just your sister's life, but yours too that would be destroyed." He paused and took Akihito's hand in his. "But Takaba san, they would not let your sister go so easily."

Ryuichi watched as Akihito's eyes flashed with something he couldn't identify, but it settled on determination as he looked at Yamazaki and said, "What do I need to do?"

"You need to help the police. Get them any information on them, their deals, anything that can help us put them behind bars." Before Akihito could protest, he continued. "Please don't worry, Takaba san, we wouldn't let anything happen to you or your sister. As soon as you get the evidence, both of you will be placed under police protection. We will make sure that they won't be able to harm you in any way." He patted his hand to assure him.

Akihito raised his eyes to meet his, as if trying to see if could be trusted. He tried to keep his expression sympathetic and eyes unwavering. He must have been satisfied with whatever he saw, as Akihito sighed heavily and withdrew his hand from his.

"Actually," Akihito began, "I had hired an investigator and he had given me a very detailed report. I have brought it with me." He said as he pulled out a thick file from his bag. "Would you like to see it?"

Ryuichi felt a stab of betrayal in his heart when he heard this. He knew that Akihito was only being rational, that he was only trying to protect his sister and himself, but he could stop feeling betrayed. He watched, with hardened eyes and a heavy heart, as Akihito handed the file to Yamazaki, who took it with barely concealed glee and proceeded to read it.

Moments after he started reading it, the four men in the control room were confused as they noticed Yamazaki getting paler and paler, while Akihito looked at him, a smile threatening to break out on his face.

"Kirishima." Ryuichi ordered, the said man snapping to attention as his name was called, "get the camera to focus on that file."

"Yes sir." Kirishima replied as he maneuvered the camera in the café so that they could see what the file in Yamazaki's hands contained. They were stunned by what they saw. They were photos of Yamazaki in compromising positions, accepting bribes, screwing whores and even some girls and boys who were underaged. It also had bank statements.

"you son of bitch! How dare you-" Yamazaki shouted, furious.

"Don't forget we are in public now, Yamazaki san." Akihito interrupted him coolly. "Don't cause a commotion here or you'll be the one in trouble. Now, would you like to sit down and have a conversation like civil people?" he asked as he took a sip of coffee.

The detective looked around him. Akihito was right; his shouting had gained the attention of the people and they were all looking at him, whispering among themselves. He bowed his head in apology and took his seat. His face was now red and his entire body shook with silent fury.

"How did you get them?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I told you, I hired an investigator." Akihito replied simply. Seeing the unbelieving expression on his face, he continued. "What? I never said I hired him to investigate the Asami family. I knew they were involved in crime long before I met them." He shrugged.

Thinking back, they realized that he had indeed never said so. They just came to that conclusion on their own. Ryuichi felt his heart soar at this. 'So he wasn't going to betray us.' He thought as a smile graced his lips.

"This isn't over. Everything you said has been recorded. I can start case against you easily with that." Yamazaki stated as he put his hands in his jacket pocket to retrieve said recorder. On finding it empty, he panicked and started searching his other pockets.

"Looking for this?" he looked up at Akihito's voice. He eyes widened and his face lost its color as he noticed his recorder in his hands.

"I took it when I shook your hands. You didn't notice, did you?" Akihito mocked him. "So what are you gonna do now?" he asked as he put the recorder in his bag.

Yamazaki couldn't believe his luck. What he thought was his trump card to his promotion turned out to be the noose on his neck. He was completely trapped!

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Nothing. I just want you to remember something. That's all." Akihito said as he placed his empty coffee cup on the table. When he met his eyes, true fear ran through Yamazaki's body. "If you try, or even think of hurting my sister or her new family, I'll destroy you completely, leaving nothing of yours behind."

Yamazaki was now trembling, fearing for his life. Akihito's face and tone were kept neutral as he delivered his threat, but his eyes flashed dangerously, promising hellish tortures to those who stood against him. He couldn't believe that he thought this guy was harmless. He was a terrifying nightmare!

Sion's control room was draped in silence as they tried to equate the boy sitting in the café to the happy go lucky one they always see. Each one of them felt the fear after watching those murderous eyes, even though it was not directed at them. 'He is dangerous.' Was the only thought running on their mind.

Yamazaki nodded his head vigorously, trying to gather his file, but stopped when Akihito commanded to leave them there. He bowed low to him, apologizing and then thanking him and fled the café as soon as he was dismissed. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him and collapsed two blocks away from the café, his feet no longer able to hold him upright. He cursed the moment he thought it was a good idea to bully him into spying for him.

'I should just resign and move away from here, somewhere peaceful.' He thought as he sat there in the middle of the pavement. He couldn't get those eyes out of his mind. After some time passed, he got up slowly and walked back home, deciding to leave town by sunrise. But he knew that those eyes would haunt him forever, even if he escapes this place.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, at the cafe, Akihito was smirking as he thought of the terrified face of the detective as he fled. On the other hand, the Asami group was trying to come in terms with the fact that Akihito was not what he seemed to be. They were all so lost in their thought that none of them noticed when Dave entered the café and headed to where Akihito was.

"That went well." He jokingly commented as he took the seat opposite to Akihito. His voice snapped everyone out of their musings.

"As well as I could have gone, I suppose." Akihito said in reply.

"You didn't kill him. I would say it went very well." Dave declared. "but I gotta say, you deserve an Oscar for that acting you just showed. Best actor as well as the best villain, both bagged by the same person!"

"Indeed." was the only response he got.

Dave gestured for a waiter, and placed his order. Akihito ordered another coffee and shortcake. After the waiter left, Dave opened the file Yamazaki had shown and whistled.

"Wow, these guys are one tough cookie, huh? They sure do some hardcore stuff." He said as he scanned through the photos. When he reached the one with Renji killing a child, he whistled again. "Whoa! That is some sick photo-shopping dude! That guy is skilled!"

"No he isn't. My guess is he paid someone to do it for him."

"Hmm, you may be right. He didn't look skilled enough to do such splendid work." Dave chuckled. "Well, last I saw was his ass as he ran from you, his tail between his legs. Oh man, that must have been so embarrassing for him." He laughed.

"He deserved it." Akihito claimed, as he shut the file and stuffed both of them into his bag.

"He sure did. Any threat to your sister meets with a deadly end." Dave remarked and Akihito smiled a sinister smile.

The waiter brought them their dishes and they dug in.

"Oh yeah, about the thing you asked about-" Dave began, but was cut off with a hand on his mouth. He playfully licked the hand covering his mouth and got a mock glare in return.

Ryuichi and his group watched as Akihito reached under his table and brought out the two microphones his people had fixed under it. He disconnected both of them and turned to the camera, putting his finger on his lips and winked. They could only catch a glimpse of him pushing a button on a black thing in his other hand before the screen blanked out. Kirishima immediately began to try to reestablish the connection, but failed.

"I'm sorry, Ryuichi Sama, but every camera of the café has been turned off." He bowed.

Ryuichi sighed, not knowing what happened, but he had a feeling that Akihito was behind it.

"Forget it Kirishima, we saw what we needed to see." He dismissed them and got up, heading towards his office. Renjiro followed him.

"It seems my brother-in-law is not who he seems to be." He observed casually. Ryuichi only hummed in response. "What do you suppose we should do, Ryu-nii?"

"Nothing. He is on our side. This just confirmed it. So let's just sit back and enjoy the show. There's nothing to worry about." Ryuichi asserted.

Renjiro nodded in affirmative and exited the room, and shut the door behind him with a soft click.

"Ryuichi poured a glass of his favorite whiskey and looked out into the skyline.

"What a mystery you are, Takaba Akihito. I can't wait to unravel you." He said out loud and took a sip of the whiskey, feeling the comforting burn down his throat.

 **A/N: And that's it folks! I can't believe I wrote such a long chapter. I hope you liked the badass Aki-chan!**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: My heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. Sorry for not updating for so long. What can I say, real life sucks. I'll try to write more regularly, but no promises. I hope you like the chapter. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

Chapter 10

The next day went by peacefully without any disturbances from hung-over secretaries or disgruntled police officers or anyone, for that matter. By an unspoken treaty, no one mentioned Akihito's meeting with the Yamazaki, though only a few people actually knew about it. Other than the four in the control room, only Ryuutarou san knew of it. He had frowned when they had told him about the confrontation, but it had quickly changed to amused and proud as it came to the part where Akihito had threatened him while showing no outward signs of doing so. It certainly seemed like he approved of him.

That morning, Akihito announced that he and Dave were going to their house. This was met with a loud 'No!' from the younger members of the family. Everyone insisted that they stay with them for the rest of their time in Japan. After much persuasion, Akihito finally agreed. But they still had to go back to collect their belongings, so Ryuichi offered to drive them and Renji offered to help get their things in the car and Mizuki and Seiko just wanted to tag along.

They left for Akihito's house mid noon in Ryuichi's luxury sedan. Dave sat shotgun, giving directions and the other four were in the back. Seiko was telling everyone about the mansion (her words, not Akihito's) and how huge it was. She was very excited to go there and that had reduced her vocabulary to that of a five year old, as she kept on going about how 'huge' his house was, with 'huge' trees surrounding it and blocked by 'huge' walls. Everyone looked at her with fond exasperation as she tried to explain his house to them.

The sedan left the busy roads of the city and was now traveling in the dirt roads of the countryside. Mizuki peered out of the window, breathing in the fresh air, untainted from the pollution of the city. They all enjoyed the peace and quiet of their surroundings, only interrupted briefly by Dave giving out directions to Ryuichi.

Their way was soon blocked off by giant gates. The entire area, as far as they could see, was walled off. Seiko was now practically bouncing with excitement.

"Just a minute." Aki said as he got off the car and walked towards the gate. They watched as he tapped the nameplate and a screen appeared, glowing light blue. he put his hand on the screen for scanning and said something and then there was a beep and the gates opened. Aki grinned and re-entered the car, the closing of the door knocking everyone out of their stupor. The sedan drove to the entrance of the mansion (or is palace a better word? Mizuki thought) and everyone got out.

"Welcome to my humble home!" Akihito announced, with his hands spread wide. The Asami family just looked dumbstruck. The mansion was enormous; and that was an understatement. The forest surrounded it on all sides, cutting them off from the rest of the world. The peace and tranquility was indescribable, and they basked in it with joy.

While they were feasting their eyes on the mansion, Dave went ahead and opened the front doors. Aki led them all inside after they had finished admiring the view. They walked into a big hall that was tastefully decorated with both antiques and new gen items.

Akihito, Seiko and Dave went inside to gather their things after telling them to feel free to look around if they wanted to. They took up the offer and did exactly that.

For a house that was empty for such a long time, not a speck of dust could be seen anywhere. The house was fitted with the state of the art technology. The light came on as soon as someone entered the room and switched off all on their own. They decided to peek into each room. Some rooms were closed, but the ones that had been open were all very spacious and comfortable.

They entered the room at the east end of the first floor and stopped short. It had an odd combination of curtains, a desk with papers strewn all over it like someone had just been there. There was also a king sized canopy bed.

But these details were not what caught their attention; it was the large portrait that hung directly in front of the bed, so that whoever lay there could easily see it. It was a portrait of a young couple. The woman was sitting on a regal chair and the man was standing behind her, his hand on her shoulder and hers on top of his. The love that they had could easily be seen even through the portrait. The man was blond, American and held a clear resemblance to Akihito. What shocked them was the woman. She was the exact copy of Seiko, just a bit older if not the same age. The resemblance was uncanny, and before they could think what this meant, Akihito came into the room.

"Hey guys, I see you found my parent's room." He said as he entered the room, shaking them out of their surprise.

"Is this their portrait?" Mizuki asked when she recovered her voice, pointing to it.

"Yes. It's beautiful, isn't it? So lifelike." he said as he turned his eyes to the portrait, his gaze admiring. "It was drawn the first week after their wedding."

"How romantic!" Mizuki remarked.

"I know! They were totally in love with each other." He declared. "Oh yeah, we've finished loading up the things. So do you want to continue your tour or go back?"

"Let's go back. I'm hungry." Mizuki whined as her stomach rumbled and everyone cackled.

"Okay then. Let's go." Ryuichi agreed. They followed him out of the house, but stared at the two cars that were definitely not there when they arrived here. Renji practically drooled at the sight of the Audi R8 Spyder and the Lamborghini Huracan.

"Are they yours?" Renji asked Akihito.

"Yes, we keep them in the garage. We are gonna need it during our stay here, so we'll be taking them with us. I hope you don't mind." He said, raising a questioning brow at them. Ryuichi merely shook his head while Mizuki's eyes shone with excitement. Renji was ecstatic.

"Can I drive that?" he pleaded Akihito, putting on his best puppy eyes.

"Maybe when you're older." Akihito laughed at Renji's pout and patted his head. "for now, we're driving." He said, pointing to himself and Dave.

They rode back to the city by late evening, stopping at a diner for dinner. Akihito and Dave got into a competition about who could eat the most and everyone was beyond surprised as they watched them gulp down almost everything on the menu. Akihito won and he even had room for desserts. After they paid the hefty bill, they set home.

Upon arriving, the servants helped get their luggage to their rooms and they retired to their rooms, tired and exhausted. They fell asleep as soon as they hit the pillow.

Everyone forgot about the portrait in Akihito's mansion.

 **A/N: I know, I know, another short chapter. *sigh* I'm sorry. I'll try to update soon. For now, ja ne!**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: My heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. I hope you like the chapter. Happy reading!**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Yamane Ayano Sensei. I'm just borrowing them for my story.**

Chapter 11

The next day found just Akihito and Dave in the Asami manor. The college break had ended, so Renji, Seiko and Mizuki went to attend the college. Ryuichi went to his business and Ryuutarou san and his wife went to visit an old family friend. Akihito was working on his laptop at the dining table while Dave was making brunch for both of them.

"So, what's your prognosis, doctor?" Dave asked as he put down the dishes in front of Akihito. The man in question looked up from the laptop screen, grinning at the statement.

Dave had always teased him about his doctor title. 'Well, time to play it on him.' He thought.

"Well, the body is showing symptoms of pulmonary embolism, seeing that there is shortage of breath rapid heart rate and low blood oxygen levels. We're gonna have to use warfarin treatment and if that is not appropriate, a vena cava filter. It is also showing signs of GPS, so we'll have to perform the plasmapheresis procedure and give a dose of cyclophosphamide, prednisone, rituximab to prevent further damage and a small dose of azathioprine to maintain remission."

Dave looks in bafflement as Akihito rattles off on diseases and stuff. When he finished, he opens his mouth to ask something, then shakes his head and closes it again. This is repeated a few more times before he is able to speak coherently again.

"What the hell was that?" he asks.

"You're the one who asked my prognosis. Go look it up. i'm sure the all knowing internet will provide you with the answers." He replies with a smirk.

"Jerk. Remind me why I'm with you again?"

"Coz you love me and cannot live without me." Aki says with a simple smile. "Though it seems someone else is soon to tie with me for that place in your heart." He teased and Dave blushed, knowing his growing attraction towards Mizuki had been caught. He'd liked her since he laid his eyes on her, and now that he's gotten to know her, well… It made him a little scared at the rate this was escalating, but it was also thrilling. He's always been a speed lover anyway.

Noticing the sly grin on his best friends face, he decided to take a swipe of his own.

"Well, it feels like I'm going to hear wedding bells soon in your family, and not just for Seiko chan." He watched amusedly as Aki's face reddened and chuckled. He wasn't the only one with an attraction towards a member of the Asami family.

"It's good." Aki mumbled around his spoon as he ate.

Dave chuckled as he watched his best friend behave like a teenager with a crush. He'd known him for a long time and he'd never seen his friend have such a reaction to anyone, man or woman. And from what he'd seen, the feeling was mutual. They both always gravitated towards each other when they were in the same room, and there was a smile on their face and a spark in their eyes reserved only for each other.

He was happy for his friend. He deserved to be happy. 'But he doesn't know his dark side.' He thought as his face darkened. 'He has a dark side himself, but would he be able to handle Aki's?' There were too many ways things could go south, but for now, he will keep a positive attitude and a prayer that this Ryuichi guy would have the strength to shoulder the bundle of surprise that is Aki.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the devious grin forming on the other man's face.

"Hey David~!" Takaba called him in a sing song voice. "I have a wonderful idea!"

Dave startles at the use of his first name, not the short version. He only calls him that when he is planning something silly, or something dangerous. He is instantly on alert and looks at the excited face of his friend.

"What are you planning?" he asks.

"Don't you think our lovers would be getting hungry soon?" he asks and with a hesitant nod from the other man, he continues. "How about we go deliver some food to them?"

"And what's the catch?" There's nothing simple when Aki's involved.

"We don't let them know we're gonna do that until we get the food right in front of them." He exclaims, eyes shining in mischief. "So what say you, partner?" he asks.

Now it was Dave's turn to grin deviously. It's been way too much time since they pulled something prank-like on anyone. So he easily agrees.

"I'm in, partner." He affirms.

They finish their brunch quickly and wash the dishes. They had time before they had to start preparing lunch, so they decided to discuss the strategy they were gonna use. The plan was to ditch the bodyguards they had been assigned since the Yamazaki incidence and get to their lovers, without alerting the guards of their presence.

Ditching their security detail would be easy; they were told to follow them without them noticing, and only outside, but tricking their lover's guards would be difficult. Dave's job would be relatively easier. He just has to enter the college, find out where Mizuki is and get the food to her. Aki's would be much more difficult, as he'll have to get into a building with air tight security and hundreds of employees (carrying guns!) and get into Ryuichi's office without anyone noticing. This was going to be one hell of a game, but they both loved a good challenge and the adrenaline junkie in them loved this one.

They got off the couch and started preparing the lunch. It didn't take a long time for them to finish and now they were looking at it, neatly packed in the beautiful bentou boxes they had found in one of the kitchen cupboards.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's get ready!" Aki whisper yelled, throwing his arms up in the air.

Dave nodded and they both got ready, wearing clothes that were inconspicuous so as to not gather attention to themselves. Dave was wearing a T shirt and jeans, paired with sneakers, as he had to mingle with the college crowd. Akihito, on the other hand, was wearing a smart suit, paired with formal shoes. Both of them carried a back pack for the bentou box and a hoodie, in case they were found out and had to hide themselves in the crowd.

They discreetly got out of the mansion and moved silently towards the gates. They knew the guards have gone to have lunch, but some of them may still be there. They scowled when they noticed two of them guarding the gates. They backtracked and moved to the opposite end of the house. Seeing no guards there, they scaled the walls and fell silently onto the grass on the other side. As they got to the main road, they looked at one another and grinned, then nodded and parted their ways. Each of them had a different destination.

-x-o-x-o-x-

 **At the Tokyo university**

Dave was standing in the almost silent corridors of the university. He had reached inside the campus with relatively no difficulty with just one incidence. He had failed to notice one guard and almost ran into him while he was entering the uni. Thankfully he recognized the guard and caught himself at the very last moment, murmuring his apologies and escaping the scene.

He looked around himself, noting his surroundings. Students were walking in the corridors, some with teachers, probably clearing their doubts. A pair of couples was walking while holding hands. He suddenly wished he was in their place, walking side by side with Mizuki, holding hands and exchanging jokes, sometimes even kisses.

He is knocked out of his reverie as a bell chimes, signaling the start of the lunch break. He remembers her telling him that she always has her lunch in the cafeteria, so he walked towards a group of girls standing nearby and smiled at them, asking if they could tell him where it is. He inwardly smirks as the girls blushed and stared at him. One girl recovered quickly though and directed him to the mess, albeit stammering. He thanked them and gave them another winning smile, then turned and walked away, leaving the swooning girls behind.

After the short walk to the cafeteria, he finds it just beginning to fill. He scans the room and finds that Mizuki is not there. So he decides to wait for her at her favorite table. She had told him about it in so much detail that it was easy to recognize it. It was right by the window and provided the view of the botanical gardens. So he sat on the chair and waited for his love, watching the scenic view from the window, facing away from everyone else.

Mizuki enters the cafeteria and heads towards her favorite table but stops short when she sees someone else is sitting there. She can't see his face as he had put on a hoodie, but she can't help but feel a sense of familiarity. She decided to put it in the back of her mind and ask the person if he would like to shift to the other empty tables around her favorite table. There's no harm in asking, right?

"Um, excuse me? Would you mind moving to the table next to this, please?" she asked politely.

"Now why would I do that?" the guy asked. Mizuki was confused. She felt like she knew that voice, but couldn't place it. The guy was still facing the window, not turning to look at her.

"It's just that it's my favorite place to eat, and I always sit here. I'd really like to not break the tradition if I can." She explains.

The guy hummed, thinking over her request.

"I have a better idea. Why don't you join me at the table? I surely wouldn't mind sharing with such a pretty lady. You could even sit on my lap if you want."

Mizuki was furious! 'The cheek of this guy!' She's about to slap him for his insolence when he turns around and looks at her.

"Dave?" she squeaks, not believing her eyes. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Now she was totally confused.

Dave got up, getting the bentou box out of his bag. He caressed her face and pulled her chin up, allowing him to gaze into those beautiful light brown orbs.

"I came to bring you your lunch, _mi bella dama._ " He spoke softly, without breaking eye contact with her. Then he held up the bentou box so she could see what he was referring to. Her eyes sparkled at the sight and she excitedly took it from him. She hugged him tightly as she whispered her thanks into his ears, her breath causing shivers to run down his spine. But before he could return the favor, she was off of him and sitting on the chair, opening the box with an excitement a child would show while opening his presents.

She squealed at the sight of the food inside that had been decorated with hearts (Aki's doing, not his). As he watches Mizuki fussing over it and taking photos of it, he's glad to have listened to his friend about the decorations. He certainly wouldn't have thought of it by himself.

Mizuki joins her hand and utters "Itadakimasu!" and digs in. When the first bite touches her taste buds, she moans in delight. 'This is so delicious!' she thinks as she goes in for more. After a few bites and subsequent moans, she points her chopsticks at Dave as declares; "you are gonna be a wonderful wife, Dave!" she nods, as if to affirm her statement and goes back to eating.

Dave smirks at her and decided to take a swipe of his own.

"Oh, so I'm the one who's going to be pottering around in our kitchen, fully pregnant and bare feet while you earn the bread for our family?"

Mizuki choked on the food she was eating, sputtering and coughing at the same time. Dave brought a bottle of water to her lips, patting her back to soothe her distress. After she had stopped coughing and calmed down, she points her finger at him in accusation.

"Are you trying to kill me? Seriously, I could have choked on my food and died right now!" she almost yells at him, but he could see that it was not in anger, but in embarrassment.

Dave smiles at her as she continues her rant, wondering in the back of his mind how his friend was faring on his challenge.

-x-o-x-o-x-

 **A/N: And that's it for now, folks! All the medical stuff I've written is all referenced from Wikipedia. I'm not a medical student, so please forgive me if I got something wrong. You are welcome to tell me any mistakes.**

 **Hope you guys like the chapter!** **J**


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